Bonehead Play 

Sarah Stogner is a Christian conservative GOPer running for Texas Railroad Commission. She has the best line so far of the 2022 Texas political season here: 

They said I needed money. I have other assets. 

I subscribe to Texas Monthly and there is an online piece on her campaign tactics along with her video. I am reminded of the old line, “Smoke’em if you got them.” 

It is not even March, and it looks like we already have a winner for the 2022 Texas Political Bonehead Play of the Year. Congrats to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s reelection campaign. The campaign sent out mail ballot applications to 65 and older voters with the address of preprinted applications going to the Texas Secretary of State instead of the individual county election administrator offices. 

Rather than fessing up to this bonehead move, the Patrick campaign said that was their intention. Here is from Patrick spokesperson Allen Blakemore: 

“The decision to direct return mail to the Secretary of State (SOS), someone who is trusted and respected, gave voters an added layer of comfort.

The SOS has always accepted ABBMs and quickly and efficiently routed them to the proper local offices. We believe that this will ensure that Blue County election officials are more likely to properly handle our ABBMs when they know they are being watched and monitored by the SOS.” 

This is what the Secretary of State’s spokesperson said: 

“Generally speaking, we request that voters do not mail, fax, or email completed applications for Ballot by Mail to the Secretary of State Office.” 

Up until this bonehead play, the SOS had a policy of not accepting applications. They are having to change course and forward them to election officers throughout the state. Again, from the SOS spokesperson: 

“It is not the voter’s fault if a third party put the incorrect return address on an ABBM, so we want to ensure voters are not adversely affected by that.” 

The Patrick campaign must have farmed this out to someone who doesn’t know the mail ballot process or Texas elections. Who in their right mind would think that the SOS has stored up mail ballot information for every voter in Texas? They don’t conduct the elections. The locals do. 

There also has to be some laziness on the part of the Patrick campaign. Nobody bothered to look at the template and noticed they were all being sent to the SOS rather than 254 election offices across the state? 

Allen didn’t even sound confident in his own response, a sure sign that they knew this was a bonehead play. 

I don’t have a problem with the SOS forwarding the applications to the proper authorities. I want everyone to have access to the ballot box. 

Here is the Trib story on this: Partisan tactic by Dan Patrick campaign delays thousands of Texans’ mail-in ballot requests | The Texas Tribune. 

The Chron E-Board takes aim this morning at the Democrats on the Harris County Commissioners Court for not naming a replacement for Judge Lesley Briones who announced over three months ago that she is running for Commissioner, Precinct 4. There really is no defense for not naming a replacement. They just invited the E-Board to slap them around and give them bad publicity. They are also responsible for giving Judge Briones bad publicity as she is running. 

Here is the E-Board take: Editorial: Why won’t Harris County commissioners name Lesley Briones’ replacement? (houstonchronicle.com) 

There are reports that 19 Austin police officers will be indicted for crimes related to how they handled the George Floyd protesters in 2020. I am waiting to hear what is in the indictments before I say anything. Try waiting, please.

There are now four folks running for Mayor of H-Town. The Dean, Chris Hollins, Lee Kaplan, and Robin Williams. We still have a week of early voting in the primaries, a May uniform election for constitutional amendments, the primary runoffs, and the general election in November before we get to 2023. Got it? 

I must do a two today because I missed out yesterday. Best TV program about African Americans goes to “Roots.” In 1977, everybody watched it. Ratings through the sky. 37 Emmy nominations and won 9. There were so many outstanding performances by African Americans, and I must say whites in the cast. John Amos, Levar Burton, Olivia Cole, Cicely Tyson, Leslie Uggams, Ben Vereen, Ed Asner, Sandy Duncan and Vic Morrow. My favorite African American performance from “Roots” goes to Louis Gossett, Jr. as “Fiddler.” He won an Emmy for that role. 

I am sure if “Roots” were done today, it would have a different look. African Americans would be directing most of the episodes. It would depict more violence. It was 1977, and it was groundbreaking.

Yesterday, I listened to Vikki Carr “En Español Los Exitos De Hoy Y De Siempre (The Hits of Today and Always)” and “Roses in The Snow” by Emmylou Harris. 

Have a safe President’s Day weekend!